Wightwick Manor and Gardens, located in Wolverhampton, was given to the National Trust by Sir Geoffrey Mander and Lady Mander in 1937 (they continued to live in the house whilst it was open to the public and gave guided tours to visitors).
The manor is home to a collection of pieces from the Arts & Crafts movement and Pre-raphaelite art; De Morgan tiles, William Morris fabric and prints, paintings and artwork by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Ford Madox Brown, Lucy Madox Brown, Evelyn De Morgan, Lizzie Sidal and John Everett Millais just to name a few. Having more artwork on display by female artists than any other National Trust location, I noticed small frames in each room with facts about female artists and discrimination in the UK (staying true to the manor’s roots and heritage…Suffragists meetings were held at the home and Lady Mander was an art writer and collector).
I could have spent hours in each room looking at individual paintings and drawings, furniture and the architecture, there’s so much to take in (I was too busy looking at everything to take photographs). I also think I missed a couple of rooms, a display about the Suffrage movement and the Mander family's connection to India. It’s got an inviting homely lived-in feel and the Manders’ personality and unique taste displays their love and appreciation for art.
It’s worth another visit…maybe on a warmer day.
